In the spring of 2018 N Rosa Parks Way will undergo preventative maintenance projects in two sections. From N Willamette Blvd to N Delaware Ave and from N Interstate Ave to N Williams Ave the road will undergo repaving and restriping. During repaving projects, PBOT seeks to improve the traffic operations and safety for all road users. By combining maintenance projects with operational improvements such as new striping configurations, PBOT more efficiently maintains the transportation system and improves road safety simultaneously.

N Rosa Parks Way is an important corridor serving a variety of road users. Crash history shows that the street is particularly unsafe for people bicycling and recorded speeds are higher than the posted speed limit of 30 mph.

Safety concerns: In the last 10 years of data (2006-2015) 11 people bicycling, three people walking, and five people driving have been injured or died while traveling the corridor. Of those 11 people injured bicycling, nine occurred from N Willamette to N Interstate. From 2016 to present, two separate recorded crashes resulted in a fatality and serious injury at the intersection at N Delaware Ave. Those crashes are not included in the data from 2006-2015 cited above.

Speeds are too high: Based on a 2013 traffic study at N Curtis Ave, most vehicles travel around 32 mph on N Rosa Parks. Considering that people are driving from or towards a sharp turn at N Willamette, the speeds are particularly high. A 2008 traffic study at N Omaha recorded speed at 38 mph.

The space is used inefficiently: A 2018 parking study showed low parking utilization in most of the corridor. Peak on-street parking occupancy averaged 17% from N Willamette to N Delaware; only one block face out of 12 had more than half of the spaces used during the highest observed period while four block faces had 0% occupancy. Other sections showed similarly low use. Click each link to see the parking study counts for the weekday average and weekend day.

To improve the safety, accessibility, and comfort for people traveling on N Rosa Parks, PBOT proposes restriping the street to include improved pedestrian crossings and transit infrastructure at several key locations and protected bicycle lanes. These changes will emphasize the neighborhood character of the street.

Designs are not yet finalized. PBOT is currently doing outreach to the neighborhood to better understand community needs and preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is PBOT undertaking this project now? Preventative maintenance paving on N Rosa Parks Way to increase the street's longevity offered an immediate opportunity to review existing operations and safety of the street.

Have changes to N Rosa Parks been discussed with the community? Yes, PBOT has attended several neighborhood association and community meetings, including the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association monthly meeting, the Piedmont Neighborhood Association board meeting, the North Portland Land Use Group monthly meeting, and others.In addition, PBOT has directly notified all impacted residents along the street with the proposed design. Staff is actively seeking input from the community.

Is there a safety issue on N Rosa Parks? Yes, In the last 10 years of data (2006-2015) 11 people bicycling, three people walking, and five people driving have been injured or died while traveling the corridor. Of those 11 people injured bicycling, nine occurred from N Willamette to N Interstate. From 2016 to present, two separate recorded crashes resulted in a fatality and serious injury at the intersection at N Delaware Ave. Those crashes are not included in the data from 2006-2015 cited above.

Also, speeds are too high. The current posed speed limit is 30 mph. Based on a 2013 traffic study at N Curtis Ave, most vehicles travel around 32 mph on N Rosa Parks. Considering that people are driving from or towards a sharp turn at N Willamette, the speeds are particularly high. A 2008 traffic study at N Omaha recorded speed at 38 mph.

What are the project's benefits? The project will make it safer and more comfortable for people to bike, walk, and access transit on a crucial corridor in North Portland. The proposed design includes much needed pedestrian crossing improvements and improved transit access at N Albina and N Rosa Parks. The proposal also includes a physically separated bicycle lane to provide safe, more comfortable bicycle facilities. The project will provide safer and more comfortable pedestrian, transit, and bike facilities that will better serve existing users and hopefully attract more people to walk and ride the bus and bicycles.

Are there specific City policies that support this project? A number of City policies and policy documents call for increasing the number of people who walk, bicycle, and take transit in the city, specifically the Climate Action Plan, Portland Plan, and Transportation System Plan (TSP). The TSP also designates N Rosa Parks as a "Major City Bikeway" which requires building the highest quality bicycling facilities and specifically allows for removing motor vehicle lanes and on-street parking to provide needed width for bicycle lanes on busy streets.

Can people still use the area next to the curb to load or unload or to get in or out of their driveways? Yes, city code allows people to load or unload for 30 seconds in a travel lane, including a bike lane. People who are driving are also allowed to pass through a bike lane or travel lane to get in or out of a driveway. As always, they should yield to the traveler in the travel lane or bike lane.

Where should people park cars now? The design allows for parking on nearly every block where parking exists today. Our studies show that parking utilization on N Rosa Parks overall is very low. There is also available parking space on side streets and nearly all of the properties in the project area have parking available in private driveways or parking lots.

Will there be a fine for unlawfully parking on N Rosa Parks Way? Parking in a bike lane can result in an $85 fine but PBOT Parking Enforcement exercises discretion and typically issues warnings rather than fines in the weeks after changes of this nature, allowing people to learn of and adjust to the change.

Proposed Designs

Click each section to see a overhead graphic of the proposed design. These are .jpg image files. They can be enlarged once they are opened to see them in greater detail.